Rail-joint.



No. 819,456. PATENTED MAY 1, 1906.

H. A. RHINELANDER. RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 30, 1905.

1711/ A um mmww , sition upon a cross-tie.

4 upon the tie 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

HENRY A. RHINELANDER, OF FREEDOM, PENNSYLVANIA. I 'RAIL-JOINT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 1, 1906.

* T 0 a, whom it may concern- Be it known that I,. HENRYA. RHINELAN- DER, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Freedom, in the county of Beaver and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail-Joints, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to. the accompanying drawings. i

This invention relates to certain newand useful improvements. in rail-joints; and the invention has for its object the provision of novel means for firmly retaining the meeting ends of two rail-sections upon a cross-tie.

The invention aims to provide a rail-joint that can be easily and quickly laid and. One that will withstand the rough usage to which rail-j oints are subjected by rolling-stock passing over the rails at considerable rapidity.

A further object of this invention is to provide a rail-joint which will be extrerr ely simple in construction, strong and durable, comparatively inexpensive to manufacture, and highly efficient when used;

With the above and" other objects in View the invention finally consists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts, which will :be hereinafter more fully described and then-.specifically pointed out inthe claims, and, referring to the drawings accompanying this application, like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved rail-joint, illustrating the same in po- Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a base-plate used in connection with my improved rail-joint. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a novel form of fish-plate constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a liner and Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view of my improved rail-joint, illustrating a rail mounted therein.

To put my invention into practice, I employ a base-plate 1, adapted to be placed upon the top of a cross-tie 2 and retained thereon by suitable nieans, which will presently be described. The base-plate 1 is oblong and is preferably laid longitudinally The central portion of the base-plate is cut away to form a seat 3 for the confronting ends of the rail-sections 4 and 5. The longitudinal edges of the base-plate are provided with upwardly-extending flanges 6 6 and 7 7, these flanges being preferably formed by. upsetting the material from which the plate is made. a short distance over the shoulder 8, formed by the seat 3, and the under faces of said flanges are beveled, as. indicated at 9 9. 1

The flanges 6 6 protrude The end of the base-plate 1 is provided with,vertically-disposed apertures 10.10, and

adjacent to the shoulder 8 the shoulder 12, formed vided with apertures 14 tion of said apertures shoulder 12.

Reference will now be had to the novel form of fish-plate which I employ for retainapertures 11 11 are provided. The base-plate 1 adjacent to by the seat 3, is pro- 14, the cut-away porextending into the ing the rails 4 and 5 upon the tie 2. I employ two fish-plates, Fig. 3 of the drawings, and .as these fishplates are identical in construction I do not deem it necessary to describe the detail construction of each. The fish-plate illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawings consists of a body portion 15, one end of which is provided with a vertically-disposed aperture 16, .while the other end thereof is provided with a transversely-disposed enlargement or rib 17 ,-,one

face of which is flush with the end' of the body portion 15,.while the other face of saidenlargeir ent gradually tapers to the body portion 15, as indicated at 18. At the juncture of the tapering face of the enlargement and the body portion 15 I provide apertures 19 19. It will be observed that the ends of the transversely disposed ribs 17 protrude a slight distance beyond the sides of the body portion 15, and the objectof this construction will be presently described.

When placing two rail-sections upon the base-plate 1, the rails are positioned upon the seat 3 and the bases of said rails moved into engagement with the shoulder 8 of the seat 3, the bases of said rails engaging under the protruding ends of the flanges 6 6. To secure the rails in this position, I employ a liner 20. (Illustrated in Fig. 4 of the drawings and shown in position in Figs. 2 and 5 of the drawings.) The one edge of this liner is cut away, as indicated at 21 21 and 22 22, to permit of said liner spanning the apertures 14 14 and embracing the inner ends of the flanges 7 7. When the liner has been placed in position to retain rail-sections upon the seat 3, the fish-plates are placed upon each end of the plate 1. The transversely-disposed enlargements or ribs 18 18 are moved into engagement with the web portions of the railone of which is illustrated in i sections 4 and 5, as illustrated in Fig. 5 of the drawings, at which time the apertures 19 19 of each fish-plate will aline with the apertures 11 11 and 14 14 of the base-plate 1, and suitable spikes or pins 23 23 are then employed for retaining t e fish-plates and the baseplate in engagement with the tie 2. The a ertures 16 16 of the fish-plates are adapte to The flanges 6 6 and 7 7 of the base-plate prevent any longitudinal movement in respect to the rails of the fish-plates, and the spikes and pins 23 and 24 prevent any longitudinal movement in respect to the tie Zof the fish-plates or base-plate. ing'ends of the flanges 6 6 ends of the of each fishlate will prevent any vertical movement 0 the rail-sections 4 and 5, and it will be impossible for said rail-sections to become disjoined when they have been once secured upon a cross-tie by my improved'railjoint.- J I=have allowed sufficient space to exist between the web portions of the rail-sections and the fish-plates to permit of the ex ansion and contraction of said rails due to t e variable temperature to which they are subjected. While I have herein described the preferred manner of constructing my 'im roved rail joint, itis obvious that various 0 anges may be made in the details of construction without departing from the general spirit and scope of the invention.

-What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a rail-joint, the combination with rail-sections and a tie, of a base-plate, said base-plate having a seat formed therein, flanges carried by the longitudinal edges of saidplate, the ends of two of said flanges ex- The protrudand the protruding transversely-disposed ribs 17 17 tending over said seat and adapted to engage the bases of said rails, a liner adapted to be mounted upon said seat, fish-plates mounted upon the ends of said plate between said flanges, and means to secure said base-plate and said fish-plates in engagement with said tie and said rail-sections, substantially as described.

2. In a railj-oint, the combination with rail-sections and-a tie, of a base-plate having a seat formed therein, adapted to support said rails, flanges carried by the longitudinal edges of said plate, a liner adapted to be mounted upon said seat and engaging one edge of the base of the rail, fish-plates adapted to be mounted u on the ends of said baseplate to engage sai rail-sections, and means to secure said fisheplates and said base-plate upon said tie.

3. In a rail-joint, the combination with rail-sections, of a base-plate having a seat formed therein adapted to support said rails, a liner ada ted to be mounted within said seat and to ear a ainst the base of the rail to retain. said rails t erein, two separable flsh plates mounted upon the ends of said baseplate, and means to secure said fish-plates in en agement with said base-plate, substantia lly as described.

4. In a rail-section, the combination with a plate having a seat formed therein, flanges carried by the longitudinal edges of said plate,

HENRY A. RHINELANDER.

Witnesses:

H. C. EVERT, MILO E. READER.

two fish-plates adapted to be mounted I upon the ends of said plate and between said 

